Class: Grade 7, General Science Unit: From Cell to Organs
Title: Gray Matter Tissue in the Brain
Before this lesson is implemented all individual education plans will be reviewed and appropriate accommodations and/ or modifications will be made to attend to students' needs.
Instructional Objectives:
Students will observe visuals of the gray matter within the brain.
Students will asking and posing questions in classroom discussion.
Students will conduct investigations that will be presented in class.
Students will develop understanding, ability, and acquire values of inquiry and knowledge of science content through class wide investigations.
Students will apply the content they've previously learned to new material for understanding purposes.
Activities and Assignments:
20 Minutes- Take attendance. Collect Typed homework journal. Go over students' answers. Make a list on the board for students to see about what degrades Neurons and it's affect in human bodies. Also ask students if they had found while researching anything cool and interesting about the Neuron that maybe had not been covered in class.
15 Minutes- Introduce new topic. Show students an image of a brain with highlighted Gray and White Matter and ask students if they have ever seen a model such as this. Ask what they know of it and how they came to learn about it. Ask a true or false question: "True or False, it has been researched and proven that less gray matter is a great thing for most human beings, and why?" After taking a couple of these questions I will reveal that the answer is false. It has been studied for a long time and scientists believe that a loss of gray matter is prevalent in those that are pathological liars, pedophiles, and in those that suffer from Dystonia, a condition in which muscle contractions can freeze or twist people into different positions that affect their entire body. (Etcetera)
10 Minutes- Review students' The Neuron Worksheet.doc, and especially focus on the soma (cell body) and the axon of the Neuron. This will lead into the next discussion.
35 Minutes- Students will log on to computers and research some basic questions about gray matter in groups and will teach the class their section. (Much like a Jigsaw routine) During the class presentations, students will assess other students' work by using a student assessment rubric.
Group 1- What is the gray matter composed of? How can you relate this to what we've just learned about in terms of the Neuron?
Group 2- What is the Function of the Gray Matter?
Group 3- Find 3 different gray matter scientific articles and express some interesting facts. Examples could be about what happens when there isn't enough gray matter in the brain.
Group 4- Where is the gray matter tissue distributed throughout the brain? Give 3-4 facts about the most widely disbursed regions.
Group 5- What is the gray matter responsible for in terms of it's location and affects on bodily function.
10 Minutes- Recap quickly what we've learned for the day and express that we will be going over white matter the following day. Also, re-emphasize the reason why we are going over brain tissues and that it is because we've examined cells, their paths toward specialized cells and how they in turn form tissues. We are for the next couple of days exploring brain tissues before beginning lessons on the function and complexity of the brain as a whole.
Unit: From Cell to Organs
Title: Gray Matter Tissue in the Brain
Instructional Objectives:
Activities and Assignments:
Materials Needed:
Resources for Lesson:
Gray and White Matter
Web based searches about gray matter
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